Each child is an individual and therefore his/her respective speech and language development may differ slightly from his/her peers. However, there are developmental norms and generalities regarding what skills are expected to develop at specific ages. Following is a general outline of the different ages and developmental stages that are expected from children from birth to age five.
It is important to note that if your child is not performing 1-2 skills in a particular age range it may be an indicative of possible delayed hearing, speech, and/or language development. If your child is not performing 3 or more of the skills listed in a particular age range, it is imperative to take action and contact a Speech-Language Pathologist to find out if an evaluation or consultation is necessary. Additionally, included below is a compilation of common warning signs of a communication disorder. Please note that these lists are not all inclusive.
Furthermore, it is important to bear in mind that these developmental norms apply to monolingual children (children who speak one language). The norms for bilingual children (children who speak two languages) may differ due to the impact of the primary language, nationality, ethnicity, and culture.
What should my child be able to do?
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*Chart compiled from www.asha.org http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart "How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?"
Common “red flags”:
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*Chart compiled from www.asha.org http://www.asha.org/public/speech/speech-referral “Behaviors that should trigger an SLP referral”
Speech referral guidelines for pediatrics from the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA):
Most Common Etiologies
Potential Consequences/Impact of Speech Impairment Can Include
Behaviors that should trigger an SLP referral
By age 3 years cannot:
By age 4 years cannot:
By age 5 years cannot:
Disturbance in neuromuscular control causes difficulty learning to produce sounds appropriately
Disturbance in programming, positioning, and sequencing of muscular movements
Disturbance in performing voluntary movements with mouth and vocal mechanism
Deafness/severe hearing loss causes severe prosodic disturbances in intonation, duration, and rhythm in addition to sound errors
Autism, emotional disturbance, and/or mental retardation may cause very unusual prosodic variations
Deviation in structure of speech mechanism
Difficulty in hearing and/or inability to differentiate between sounds inhibit child's ability to detect and correct error sounds; usually unaware of errors
Intelligibility and sound production are compromised when nasal passages, nasopharynx, and larynx are bypassed due to tracheostomy/ventilator dependence
Exhibits sudden decrease in speech intelligibility
Exhibits decline in ability to be understood by family, friends, and/or caregivers in the expression of basic needs, preferences, and feelings
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